Alumni

2017

Current Research

The Pacific Shark Research Center studies diverse aspects of chondrichthyan biology in the Eastern North Pacific and around the World

Video link #1 Video link #2

Looking for Lost Sharks: An Exploration of Discovery

When people hear about the word ‘sharks’, they automatically think of white sharks, hammerheads, blue sharks, or whale sharks. These majestic large sharks represent a very small proportion of the sharks present in the world. More than 520+ species of sharks have been discovered and many more are still waiting to be identified. If you add the rays, skates, and chimaeras, around 1400+ species of elasmobranchs have been discovered. Unfortunately, a recent study has suggested that 25% of these species are under threat of extinction. Why? Many species of sharks are heavily fished in regions where fishing regulations are poorly managed. Endemic species that were found in certain areas, decades ago are rare now, if they are seen at all!

#1 pic Caption: The number of new Chondrichthyan species described by half century from 1750 to 1999, and from 2000-2017